MRI RAPID: ACQUISITION OF A FIELD SPECTROSCOPY ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS SYSTEM FOR GULF OIL SPILL RESEARCH

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This MRI-RAPID award is in response to events subsequent to an explosion on the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. The objective of this proposal is to acquire a Field Spectroscopy Environmental Analysis System to enable collection of highly perishable data on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. More specifically, the instrument will be used to take in-situ measurements of the spectral response of oil spill and vegetation under stress between 350 nm and 2500 nm. The need for collecting these field samples is urgent due to the rapid evolution of spatial distribution and physical-chemical composition of leaked oil as it begins interacting with the environment and oil collection efforts. The transient and dynamic nature of such a large-scale disaster calls for both immediate and continuous efforts in data collection, benchmarking, and quantitative analysis for monitoring, assessment, and management of the impact of this and future spills. The new instrument will enable the team to take time-sensitive, in-situ measurements of solar reflectance of oil spill in various physical forms (e.g. sheen, patch, tar balls) at various sites (e.g. deep water, shallow water, marshes, and beaches) while recording their geospatial locations. In conjunction with hyperspectral images acquired by satellites and/or aircraft, the team will be able to pursue potentially transformative research in 1) seeking a spectral-spatial solution for achieving more accurate oil distribution mapping in open water; 2) estimating oil slick thickness based on its spectrum and water conditions; 3) assessing the quantity of tar balls onshore using spectral un-mixing to support clean-up activities; and 4) detecting the presence of oil in complex, environmentally sensitive ecosystems. Environmental toxicologists on the team will use the instrument to perform spectral analysis of ecosystems stressed by crude oil. The acquisition of this instrument will significantly enhance the capabilities of the Computer Vision and Image Analysis Laboratory (CVIAL) at Texas Tech University to enable hands-on research experience for graduate and undergraduate students in imaging spectroscopy and hyperspectral remote sensing with broad applications in disaster response, environmental monitoring, and national defense.